Intune: why a policy didn't apply
For Intune administrators and endpoint specialists who own the "I assigned it but nothing happened" ticket. You should already know how devices check in and what the basic policy statuses mean (Microsoft Intune troubleshooting: check-ins, policy status, enrollment errors covers that). This course goes further into the reasons a correctly written policy still doesn't land: the device can't receive policy at all, the assignment logic excludes it (mixed user and device groups, dynamic group delays), an assignment filter evaluates differently than you expect, a setting conflicts with another policy, or the setting isn't applicable to that Windows edition or leaves a value behind when removed. Concepts follow Microsoft Learn as of 2026; admin center paths change, so confirm in current documentation. Ends with a supervisor-graded diagnosis.
- Level
- Advanced
- Length
- About 90 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Intune
Skills you'll practise
- Confirm a device can receive policy using the Troubleshoot pane: licence, management state, join type and last check-in
- Trace an assignment through included and excluded groups and predict the result for mixed user and device groups
- Apply filter mode precedence and the filter evaluation report to explain why a filter included or excluded a device
- Identify a conflicting setting and the policies involved from per-setting status, and choose where to resolve it
- Explain Not applicable results and settings left behind after removal, and choose the right next step
Course outline
- 1.Confirm the device can receive policy at allLesson · 15 min
- 2.Trace the assignment through included and excluded groupsLesson · 20 min
- 3.Explain a filter result with mode precedence and the evaluation reportLesson · 20 min
- 4.Identify a conflicting setting and choose where to resolve itLesson · 15 min
- 5.Explain Not applicable and leftover settingsLesson · 12 min
- 6.Intune: why a policy didn't apply: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Intune: why a policy didn't apply: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Learn: Troubleshooting policies and profiles in Microsoft Intune (Troubleshoot pane, policy states, unassigned security policies)
- Microsoft Learn: View and monitor device configuration policies in Microsoft Intune (statuses, report timing, per-setting status, conflicts)
- Microsoft Learn: Common questions, answers and scenarios with policies and profiles (refresh intervals, conflicts, removal, Not applicable, dynamic groups)
- Microsoft Learn: Assign policies in Microsoft Intune (user versus device groups, CSP behaviour, include/exclude support matrix)
- Microsoft Learn: Use assignment filters to assign your apps, policies and profiles
- Microsoft Learn: Assignment filter reports and troubleshooting (evaluation report, include/exclude results, precedence, race conditions)
- Microsoft Learn: Include and exclude app assignments in Microsoft Intune (exclusion precedence within the same group type)
See it with your own jobs and topics
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